Ex-Cowboys coach: Dak Prescott might want out of Dallas after being 'hurt' by front office

Remember, the big hang-up in contract negotiations between Prescott and the ‘Boys wasn’t necessarily money. Instead, it was the length of the deal, as Prescott wanted a four-year contract, while Dallas wanted to lock him up for five years.

There could be more to all this than money, too. Broaddus also reported that the same former Cowboys coach shared that Prescott “was disappointed that [Jason] Garrett was relieved of his job.”

Ultimately, Prescott signed his franchise-tag tender, which will pay him $31.4 million fully guaranteed in 2020. Should the Cowboys fail to sign him to a long-term deal after the season, he could become a free agent in 2021.

The biggest reason that’s a likely scenario is two-fold:

• The NFL salary cap is expected to drop in 2021 from $198 million this year to a floor of $175 million.
• Prescott will earn around $37 million on the franchise tag in 2021 if Dallas used it again.

The increase in Prescott’s price tag, combined with a drop in salary cap, could lead to the quarterback hitting the open market.